I'm Katie Lyon and I'm a 5th grade teacher, VP and blogger at Mrs. Lyon - Teaching: The Art of Possibility. On my blog, I share classroom tips, teaching ideas, and classroom resources. I'm a big fan of technology, and am in charge of our school's 1:1 iPad program. I share tech tips that can be applied to the classroom.

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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Okay - so I know this is a teaching blog and perhaps this post will "teach" someone to do what I did. I was so VERY EXCITED about the Christmas gifts I made for my girls this year and just have to share them. I'm all about consignment sales and go the LA Kids Consignment sale twice a year. I stock up on puzzles, clothes, and any other things I think we need or I want. :-) I love it! Finding a deal is a thrill for me. If I don't win an early entry pass, I will buy one. That way I know I'll be the first to find these deals.

This year I knew I wanted to create my older daughter a tool workbench. I had been looking online and found some that were in the hundreds of dollars!! Uh - I don't think so. And the cheaper ones seemed to be just that - cheap. So I decided to make my own. When I went to the consignment sale, I knew I wanted to find the play tools as to buy them at regular price could get expensive. I ended up finding the power tool play set and the hand tools for only $15. If I was to buy all the tools I got there new, I would have ended up paying over $75! So after I had my tools, the next step was the bench itself. My husband had an old nightstand that we stored in our garage and I determined it was the perfect size for what I wanted to do. I spray painted it a glossy black and extended the table top of it with Home Depot yard sticks. I topped those off with a clear coat to prevent the kids from getting any splinters.

For the back side, I wanted to get peg board but the Home Depot by me didn't have the size I wanted. I could have bought an extremely large piece for $16 and had it cut down but instead decided to go with a piece of chalkboard backing I found for $6. This turned out to be a good thing because I didn't have to worry about the hooks falling off onto the ground where the baby could get them. I used Command Brand removable hooks to hang the tools on the board. This also allowed me to give a space for my daughter to write on the board with chalk. Here is the finished product - I love it!

The other gift I repurposed was an old jeep I found at the consignment sale as well. I picked it up for $26 and bought three cans of spray paint (that works on plastic) to repaint it. This is my daughter's new favorite outdoor toy! She loves to load up the back and drive off.

Friday, December 13, 2013

It's time for another Freebie Friday! Today, I was dismayed when I realized I had forgotten a greeting card I had bought for a colleague at home. Unable to run to the store to get another one and not at all interested in paying another $3.95 for it, I turned to the internet.

Multiple greeting card options

Editing abilities

I was overjoyed when I came across a website called Greetings Island. This website allows you to choose from a wide variety of greeting cards and customize them with personalized messages.

The card I chose.

I was able to quickly create a new card, actually personalize it and print it out all in under three minutes! No more running to the store for me. These cards are cute and exactly what one would need.